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You
Can Help Hurricane Victims |
Written by Bonnie Gillespie, Staff
Writer
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Disaster Services Quick Links
In the
News: Hurricane Frances Heads for Florida
Hurricane
Relief Efforts
Emergency
Communications Plan
Disaster
Welfare Inquiries
Local
Red Cross Response |
Throughout the areas devastated by Hurricane Charley, seven mobile kitchens
operated by both the Red Cross and Southern Baptists are working virtually around the clock, readying food for delivery three times a day. An astounding 135,000 meals were served to hurricane victims on Wednesday alone, but the Red Cross is asking for much-needed financial contributions to support ongoing relief efforts in Florida. Thousands of Hurricane Charley victims are still struggling to cope, daily
facing the daunting tasks of debris removal and clean-up, home repairs or
relocation, unemployment or even death of a loved one or neighbor. Nine counties
across the “Sunshine State” were hard-hit by But even after the conveniences and
necessities of life return, Hurricane Charley victims face “I think what’s really going to
be hard is when people get all the help they can – from FEMA, from
their insurance, from every organization they can – and it still
won’t be enough to give them back their lives,” said Jane Quinn, a
Red Cross Mental Health Services volunteer from California. |
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Trained Red Cross counselors like Quinn are stationed throughout the region – at feeding stations, in shelters, at the kitchens – and in coming days will be reaching out to victims directly in their neighborhoods, lending support and encouragement to residents throughout the coping process. “People here seem to be in a state of shock,” said Cheri Lundbald, a Red Cross volunteer from the Central Vermont/New Hampshire Valley Chapter. “They knew something was coming but never expected something so horrific.” Lundbald and other Red Cross volunteers have been spending nights alongside displaced victims in Red Cross shelters and are witnessing up-close the plight of hurricane survivors. Yet, Lundbald and other Emergency Response Vehicle drivers report the overwhelming gratitude of those receiving meals and comfort kits, despite their situation. “We’ve driven up many times to people with lots of visible damage to their homes, and they thank us but then ask for us to give it to the people who are in worse shape,” she said. “And that’s the kind of generosity we’ve encountered. Along with Lundbald, more than 1,400
Red Cross volunteers from across the nation are on the ground in
Florida, working diligently to reach residents with disaster relief
services. |
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The immense needs persist as families rebuild their lives. You can help the victims of Hurricane Charley, Frances, Ivan and thousands of other disasters across the country each year by making a financial gift to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund, which enables the Red Cross to provide shelter, food, counseling and other assistance to those in need. More than 282,000 people have
sought refuge in one of the 600 shelters opened by the But
we could not deliver these services or touch the lives of those affected without
YOU - Those affected directly by the
storm should call 1-866-GET-INFO to register with the Red Cross for
disaster assistance.
Contributions
may be sent American
Red Cross Pierce County: American
Red Cross Thurston-Mason Counties: American
Red Cross Lewis County: American
Red Cross
Rebuilding
Lives, Restoring HOPE! |
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For additional information or questions about the American Red Cross National Disaster Relief Fund, Red Cross Disaster Relief Efforts, or your Local Red Cross Services & Programs please contact the American Red Cross Mount Rainier Chapter Serving Pierce Thurston, Mason, and Lewis Counties |
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(253) 474-0400 Pierce County |
(360) 426-3400 Mason County | ||
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(360) 352-8575 Thurston County |
(360) 748-4607 Lewis County | ||
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